July 25th 2022
Chapter 206
Our Haunting of Futures
Once he reached the ranch, parked, and started on his way to the stables, Lucas started to feel it all buzzing in him… the good shivers, the 'dad feels' as Maya would call it. The day before, he'd had some of it buzzing in him as he'd gone to the store to pick up the test, but back then it had still just been a possibility, not a reality. Then he'd gone back home, and it had become a reality, but they'd still been home, and thinking about this new pregnancy, of course, though all the while there had been the girls with them, and Maya with him… This right here was the first time he properly found himself alone and thinking about the fact that he was about to be a father for the seventh time. Here he'd thought that the sixth time had felt massive, but this right here… For a moment, he stood there and thought about the likelihood that this could be another multiple birth. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility, was it, after the triplets? And if seventh felt massive, then what if there was an eighth, a ninth, a tenth? Oh, he was not even going to suggest any of this in front of Maya; it'd only send her head reeling more than it already was.
He was still getting used to the idea himself, which was strangely influenced more by his familiarity with this part of the journey than anything else. All he could think about at first was just how not too long ago he'd been in this exact same position. It was just a bit later in the fall, with the ranch already decked out in its Halloween best, but the rest… The unexpected realization that their family was about to grow again felt fresh enough still that he could look back and recall just how it had felt in the days right after they'd learned of Mackenzie's coming, much clearer than he did those days after learning of Marianne or the triplets, even as he remembered those, too. It was a big sort of 'we just did this' sensation, and suddenly his biggest concern became about not letting this moment feel like 'oh, again.' This baby, whoever he or she would grow up to be, would never be anything less than unique to him, to Maya…
That thought became his whole mindset for this day. How were they going to make sure that this time felt special for its own self?
Some of it was definitely going to have to come from a place of similarity, yes. There were those things that came with each of their previous pregnancies, and this would be no different. Maya loved to tease him for how he'd go to sleep with a hand to her belly, even when it had not gone and grown much or at all yet, and especially for how he would speak to their unborn children in the morning. That morning, they'd had their first 'talk,' and he'd found himself referring to the baby as Lucky. Mackenzie had been Tiny, still was, so they couldn't just use the name again, but this one had felt right. When Maya had heard him use it, she'd chuckled, thinking at first that it was some derivative on his name. He'd gone on to clarify how it wasn't that at all, no. This was their Lucky Seventh… That had made her smile even more, and considering how nauseated she'd been feeling today, he was really glad that he could give her that to hold on to.
The telling would be their first chance to make their Lucky kid known, and they were going to make that special. They'd had three of these reveals before, some more straightforward than others, but how were they going to set this one apart? There was some temptation to tell them all in a few days, on Hallowannie. The family would be gathered already, wouldn't it? That would make it easy for them. But then he thought about that and there was that compulsion again to not take shortcuts for convenience on this one. Then he thought about Marianne again, how she would be the first to find out, on her birthday, and it made him smile. She would love to be involved in this reveal, he knew, so why not wait until she could be part of the plan? Knowing her, she just might have been the one with the grand idea to make this special. Satisfied with this thought, he stopped thinking about the reveal and focused on what would come after.
They didn't even have a due date yet, but for what they knew and were able to calculate, this baby would come in either May or June, close to his own birthday. That meant that Maya would almost get to finish this school year but not quite. No matter how they stacked it, she was going to miss the tail end of this year, and the departure of this year's seniors with it. She would probably still be good for graduation, and if that wasn't possible, they would deal with it in time, but as far as the classes went, well… They would figure something out. It was impossible for him not to remember how things had gone just last year, how she'd ended up overworked and starting her leave early. As much as this might make him want her to be more careful this time around, he didn't worry. Maya would be far more aware of this than he was. She'd already be keeping that in mind and planning in consequence.
It was as he stood looking after Britt and Raj's horses that he finally had to stop and recognize that his worries had been unfounded. How could any of them treat this new baby as anything less than what each of their children had been before this one. They were all their own miracles… and he couldn't wait to meet this Lucky one…
"Hey, big guy," Lucas grinned when he spotted Thor coming his way.
The dog had been going around with this air to him like he was now the great canine protector of Sullivan Stables ever since the retreat had opened and they'd started bringing in 'guests.' It was always great news when any of those dogs got to leave here again, looking much better off than they'd done when they'd arrived, and even Thor seemed to get that feeling they all got, bittersweet for being as happy as they were sad to see them go. If he hadn't been around for it, Lucas could still know once he saw the big guy if a dog had left with their new family… or if a new one had come to stay with them a while.
"Made a new friend, did you?" Lucas asked as he scratched him. Thor sat back, the better to enjoy this attention, then got up again as soon as Lucas' hand went away. He gave a bark, turned around. Come with me, it said. "After I finish out here, okay? I promise."
The dog parked himself right outside the stables and waited, followed him when he moved along, until finally Lucas was able to go with him over to the retreat. When they got there, they came to find Bishop tending the new arrivals. There were two of them, completely unrelated to one another, or so it had seemed at first. They'd been brought along from two different places, one the hospital where Lucas had done his residency, the other from the shelter where Tanya Hillard worked, each with their own issues. But as Bishop told it now, the moment the second of them had arrived, they'd both had this change to their attitude, not a complete one, but still so notable that it couldn't be ignored. The first one had still been with Bishop, and he'd just stood up all at once and scampered off, even as back in the reception area, the second arrival had gotten away from the woman who'd brought her. There'd been this brief concern like they were about to fight or something, but it wasn't like that at all.
This was a happy reunion. Everything Bishop had from their files and just from the look of them both suggested that they were siblings. If that was the case, there was no telling at what point they had been separated, but either way, it didn't matter. They recognized each other, and now they were resting together, acting in a way as one another's security blanket.
"Do they have families lined up already?" Lucas asked Bishop. Thor had gone to lie down near the pair. They were both awake and didn't seem to mind this at all.
"Not yet, no," Bishop replied with a thankful tone, and Lucas understood this. He wanted them to get to stay together, and Lucas was on the same page there. If they'd both had families waiting for them, it would have meant disappointing one, or finding that neither was interested in getting two dogs instead of one. Whatever happened, the dogs were welcome to stay here as long as it took, but the goal was always to get them a home in the end.
"So, whatever happens, gotta keep them together," Lucas hummed as he crouched down.
"Definitely," Bishop told him, then, "I have half a mind to take them myself." Lucas smiled up at him. It wasn't as though there was some rule against this, and the pups would have a great home with him. "Evie would love them, I'm sure," he added with a smile, and Lucas chuckled. Yes, he could see Bishop's little girl being over the moon at the prospect. Every time she'd been out here, since the retreat had opened, she'd had this look in her eyes like all she wanted was to get to bring any of the dogs home.
"I think they'd be lucky to have you and her to look after them," Lucas told him, and he bowed his head to look at the dogs even as the mention of the word 'lucky' had brought him back to Maya and the baby. "Wait until you've been with us a little while, you'll be good to go," he told the dogs with a smile. The dogs both looked at him for a few beats before getting up and walking closer to him. They had curiosity in their eyes, uncertainty… They came within touching distance, and he held out his hand, let them give him a sniff. He passed the test, and they allowed him to pet them.
"I've got a feeling your girls wouldn't mind taking one or two of our guests home either," Bishop suggested, and Lucas laughed as he finally sat down outright, and the dogs came to rest with him.
"I think we're at our max with our five already, especially with…" He stopped, caught himself in what he'd been about to say. Was there some chance of salvaging this before Bishop figured out… The sound his friend made got the new dogs and Thor to sit up and look at him, his surprise so lifted as it was. Well, so much for that.
"Again? Already?" Bishop asked as Lucas looked up at him.
"Looks that way, yes," he had no choice but to confirm it. Lying now would have felt wrong. "Not a word, okay? No one." Bishop vowed it would stay with him. That one was on him, Lucas knew. They wanted Marianne to find out first, and maybe she wouldn't be the first one to know, but she would absolutely be the first one that they told, on Sunday, her sixth birthday… Great big girl, great big Pumpkin… She'd take a new sibling over a new dog any day.
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
